wild west, the travel rush has begun. snow, winds and rain that could disrupt thanksgiving plans for millions and the secret number you can call to beat the traffic. real money. we help one family save $308 on holiday shopping. how you can too. and would you eat this? peppermint potato chips, gingerbread soda? have holiday flavors gone too far? good evening. diane is off this holiday week, and we begin tonight with breaking news. with the middle east on the brink of war, the united states is now right in the middle of the search for peace. secretary of state hillary clinton has broken off her farewell tour with president obama for a final high-stakes mission, to broker a truce. it's a mission both she and the president have shied away from

for most of obama's first term, one that could shape american foreign policy all through his second. as we come on the air, secretary clinton is planning to shuttle between all the major players and our team has been reporting from the field all day and we begin with matt gutman in jerusalem. opening, matt. >> reporter: good morning, george. this could be her most important one. she could be the key player in brokering a truce, and tonight all eyes are on her. hillary clinton arriving for twelfth hour diplomacy and a midnight meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> america's commitment to israel's security is rock solid and unwavering. that is why we believe it is essential to de-escalate the situation in gaza. the goal must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate aspirations of israelis and

palestinians alike. >> reporter: the secretary of state now in the eye of this deadly storm with breakneck meetings of all the major players in jerusalem, cairo and gaza. all day rumors of peace flew, so did the rockets and the leaflets. israel dropping thousands of them warning some 200,000 gazans to flee homes that could be bombed, and they fled with mattresses and luggage piled high on donkey carts and rickshaws as israel cratered entire blocks tonight. 1 million palestinians remain in harm's way. and anger soaring in the west bank where palestinians tossed stones protesting the raids, battling israeli troops. we just have to get back into our cab here because we got tear gassed. the clash is spilling over right into the checkpoint here between israel and the west bank. the fighting is exacting an excruciating cost, nearly 150 palestinians and 4 israelis dead.

and tonight, over 3.5 million israelis remain in rocket range, cowering from ceaseless sirens and the spray of shrapnel. nearly 140 rockets lobbed into israel in the past few hours blasting through homes in israel's southern city of beer sheva and 60 miles north in a tel aviv suburb. those in rocket range refusing to return to the status quo. >> for it to stop firing in 48 hours and then for next week the same thing happening,. that is unacceptable. >> reporter: israeli officials are telling me secretary clinton will hear a lot of that sentiment, israel's unwillingness to settle for anything more than a long-term cease-fire. hamas is demanding they loosen its grip on its borders and for it to stop assassinating its leaders. george, both sides are dug in. >> so there's still much to work through. all right, thanks, matt. let's go to alex marquardt in gaza. alex, there was some hope a cease-fire might be taking hold

but that bombing has not stopped all day where you are. >> reporter: no, it really hasn't, george. it's been very strange to hear about peace talks and cease-fires when really the explosions have not stopped. for much of the night there has been incoming artillery and air strikes from the sky have not stopped, and a short while ago we saw militants firing rockets from here just behind us, and that has been going on for much of the day. gazans say what they want, of course, is is peace and quiet but what's been happening for the last week is gazans defending themself and they see the u.s. completely siding with israel. so while they would like to see a cease-fire, they say true peace cannot come along until israel stops targeting people in the gaza strip and that blockade of gaza is lifted. george? >> alex marquardt, thanks very much. here at home, it is game on for the more than 43 million americans hitting the road this holiday. tomorrow could be the busiest travel day of the year, but the thanksgiving migration has

already begun. americans scrambling into planes, trains and automobiles to make it home for the holiday. our travel team is tracking it all, and abc's senior national correspondent jim avila starts us off. >> reporter: good evening, george. tomorrow is supposed to be the busiest travel day of the year but airlines have cut the number of flights down 3%, and that means that if the weather holds, it actually could be a pleasant week to travel everywhere but in a couple of spots. a twin threat to air travel on the west coast. airport workers scheduled to demonstrate at los angeles international tomorrow afternoon, prompting warnings for passengers to give themselves a three-hour cushion at l.a.x. and an extra 90 minutes to get there. >> this is part of the fun of it all is to go and fight the fight, to fight the crowds. >> reporter: up north, crippling rain in oregon and washington expected to delay northwest flights, but for the rest of the country, weather is on travel's side for a change.

>> 75% of the country will be rain-free. northwest, not so great, we will see heavy rain and mountain snows continuing. >> reporter: and since seattle is not a major domestic hub, the ripple effect of bad weather there is unlikely to spread. >> if there were to be a storm in chicago or in the northeast, you could count on mass chaos, but that does not look like that it's going to be the case at all. >> reporter: there are some new 2012 holiday tricks for savvy travelers. some airlines will allow you to avoid the baggage counter by tagging and checking your own bag, giving you the opportunity to lose your own luggage. tsa has a new precheck program this year. sign up, and you pass through a separate security line with your laptop in your bag and your shoes on your feet, and there are new smartphone apps that monitor security lines, so you can back time your approach. flights are full and rebooking a challenge. >> it's extremely important to know how much time you actually have to get to your gate so that you don't potentially miss your flight and get stuck at the airport for thanksgiving. >> reporter: and one final tip,

leave the cranberry sauce at home. because of the tsa ban on liquids, your turkey may be welcome, but the cranberries are on the no-fly list. now to alex perez and the nation's highways where 90% of holiday travelers find themselves. >> reporter: well, jim, some 39 million motorists will be getting in their cars and hitting the roads this thanksgiving, and aaa says the best time to get behind the wheel tomorrow is by 7:00 a.m. by 5:00 p.m., the roads will already be jammed. ? welcome to traffic 1. >> reporter: another tip, every state is part of the 511 traffic system. so before you head out, remember to dial 511 for the latest traffic and road closures in your state. and drivers in the northeast prepare for a roadblock. if you're looking to rent a car, you may be out of luck. superstorm sandy has led to a shortage in rental cars. your best bet may be

to get on the train and my colleague lisa stark has the latest from washington, d.c. washington on the acela express. lisa. >> reporter: amtrak is booming and tomorrow will be the busiest day yesterday. last year 138,000 passengers crowded on board the day before thanksgiving. now, here in the northeast amtrak has even borrowed trains from canada to handle the crush. usually it relies on cars from new jersey's transit, but many of those were damaged by hurricane sandy, and that storm also means many of the commuter lines aren't up to speed. you should check the schedules online. and a bit of advice, get to the station at least 45 minutes early. bring your i.d., and if you're on one of those long distance line, well, come hungry. there will be a full thanksgiving menu on board. george? >> okay, lisa, thanks. and as millions of americans at airports face those long security lines, we have news tonight about the threats that

make those checks so critical. four men from southern california are under arrest charged with plotting to join al qaeda and kill americans. abc's senior justice correspondent pierre justice covers homeland security for us. good evening, pierre. >> reporter: good evening, george. as we head toward the holiday season, u.s. law enforcement will be on the hunt for any terror plots aimed at destroying our joy. and today the fbi provided a wake-up call that there may be radicals among us. anwar al awlaki was the world's most wanted man, public enemy number one, encouraging radicals to attack america in his online preaching. the u.s. killed him in a drone strike in 2011, but today we learn awlaki is still helping to recruit terrorists from the grave. overnight the fbi announced charges against four californian men accused of plotting to go to afghanistan to bomb and kill u.s. soldiers. they were disciples of awlaki. >> there was an extensive amount of their admiration for him and,

quite frankly, idolizing anwar awlaki. >> reporter: the alleged ringleader, sohiel kabir was a former member of the u.s. air force. the fbi claims the terror cell conducted training and went to shooting ranges and bought tickets to travel to afghanistan through mexico. >> this was a violent extremist network. we took this very, very seriously. >> reporter: according to the fbi's charges, one of the alleged terror cell's members had posted violent extremist media including audio files of awlaki. abc news has discovered at least 30 cases brought against so-called homegrown radicals where awlaki was a primary inspiration and include recent plots to blow up the u.s. capitol building, the federal reserve in new york and another to detonate a car bomb at a chicago bar. all the cases came after awlaki was dead. george, some officials fear we may see his influence for years to come.

he lives on online. >> even from the grave. okay, pierre, thanks very much. a big headline about birth control. the nation's leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists recommend birth control pills be sold over the counter like tylenol or cough syrup. no prescription, no doctor's exam. they say birth control pills are safe and making them easier to get could reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies each year. and we have a new report from the u.s. public interest research group on dangerous toys for children. like this dora explorer guitar, too loud for little ears. these tiny dragsters, small bands on the wheels can be a choking hazard and these snake eggs, the magnets are too easy to swallow. more than 200 toys were tested in all and the full study can be found on our website, abcnews.com. still ahead on "world news," we help one family save $308 on holiday shopping. how you can beat the system too. last thanksgiving, about 2 million people

tried to deep-fat-fry their turkey. 15 succeeded in setting their houses on fire. at christmas, there was a lot of driving over the river and through the woods. and a little bit of skidding on the ice and taking out grandma's garage door. so while you're celebrating, allstate will be standing by. trouble never takes a holiday. neither should your insurance. that's allstate's stand.

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of us will try to bring them down by spending hours in black friday lines, but we asked sharyn alfonsi to find now ways to save and found one family some real money. >> reporter: the perillos have their hands full. parker, cameron, and baby sawyer. there isn't a lot of time for holiday shopping. are you dreading it? >> anything we can do to avoid bringing all three kids to the mall. >> reporter: so we brought help to them. >> i'm joanna. nice to meet you. >> reporter: joanna stern is abc's tech editor. she showed us how you can outsmart stores using technology to get great deals. on the perillos' christmas list -- >> a pop-up. >> reporter: a flat screen tv and digital camera. we were surprised to learn prices online fluctuate from hour to hour. watch this camera. the price dropped three times, from $179 to $168 to $129, $50 in just 12 hours, so when should you pull the trigger and buy? tip number one -- arm yourself with apps. so we're off to the store. our target, target. there we see a digital camera we

were looking at and pull out our decide app. it scans through the bar code searching through thousands of pieces of information to tell us whether >> so we should not buy a camera today? >> reporter: it says wait. but what about this samsung tv on sale? it says buy, so sarah does. on the toy aisle, we spot bouncing tigger. it's at the top of the girl's list. >> that is going to make you crazy. definitely will make us all crazy. >> reporter: it was $39.99 at target, marked down to $28.99. tip number two -- click to compare. using another app called red laser, we scan the bar code and find it cheaper. target will match competitors' online pricing this year, so we get it for $21 and laser in on other great deals. and if you're shopping online and don't like the price, tip number three -- just walk away. >> if you put something in your cart and then you walk away from it, it's kind of like playing hard to get. they'll send you an e-mail

and say, "actually, we noticed you had this in your cart. here's a 10% discount. >> reporter: to trick the computer, you may even need to put in your credit card number in, but don't use it. >> it's not even about just clicking on it we have to go to the last stop before placing the order. >> reporter: and the discounts start coming. dad hides the gifts we picked up and we count the savings. $390. >> all: that's real money! >> and don't worry. we made sure the girls wouldn't be watching tonight so we wouldn't ruin their surprises. and one of the most interesting things we learned, often an item is more expensive in the store than on that same store's website. for example, one toy we is saw was $39, 21 -- excuse me, $39 in the store and $21 at target.com. the good news is if you find that lower price, you can finally get it. >> if you walk away, the computer will lure you back? >> absolutely. it is watching you, but you really have to go all the way to the very end, put your credit

card number in there and then back out. >> boy, that is really something. sharyn alfonsi, thanks very much. the royal secret that started on that balcony. that's coming up. before copd... the royal secret that started on that balcony. that's coming up. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing.

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reminded us of the latest couple. the queen and prince philip are keeping the celebration simple and private at buckingham palace. happy birthday, mr. vice president. that was the message sent with president obama's twitter feed today. he is 70 today and all kinds of present suggestions have been popping up on line. one of our favorites, an amtrak conductor's hat for the vice president who is a regular on the train from washington, d.c. to his home state of delaware. and with the president overseas, the vice president holding down the fort at home he spent his birthday with his family. we want to hear what captures your imagination every day, so tweet us your thoughts for instant index @dianesawyer. and coming up, does pumpkin pie mix with potato chips? what's the weirdest holiday flavor you can think of? cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate.

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call now. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. finally tonight, before you finalize that thanksgiving menu, have you considered cocktails mixed with candy cane soda, some pumpkin pie potato chips on the side for the kid, and there's red velvet chocolate milk. darren rovell walked through for all the funky flavors that could end up on your plate.

>> reporter: it's that time of year where we're expected to embrace the sensory overload, and for those trying to catch our eye and get us to pull out our wallets, it's the annual festive dressing of the shelves with a lot on the line. so we decided to see what won us over -- >> got one. >> reporter: -- on a trip to the supermarket. not so successful, in my opinion, although we should note we were forced to purchase it after i dipped my fingers in it. next we stopped at the oreos. the winter packaging got us. special winter oreo. a taste test confirmed it was in fact the same old oreo. the same. the packaging alone is often good enough to get us to buy. one recent study found that 76% of consumers like seasonal packaging. only 53% actually like special flavors. but the shoppers we stopped weren't getting caught up in it all. why? it's limited edition. >> well, you give me a limited

edition handbag, i'll buy it. a limited edition cookie? no. >> reporter: another tactic marketers are using? shape. because when i think of snowflakes, i think of ritz. i mean, is there anything these people didn't think of? everyday pringles have turned from salty to sweet, so too has your turkey, at least if you buy what baskins-robbins is selling. a turkey ice cream cake with caramel as the skin, two cones stuffed in to resemble the turkey's leg. yeah, we bought it! darren rovell, abc news, new york. >> that actually looks pretty good. thanks, darren. that is all for us tonight. we're always here at abcnews.com. check out "nightline" later, and i'll see you tomorrow on "gma." if you're traveling, travel safe this holiday week.

a local official living the good life in bankruptcy. expenses he's racked up on taxpayer dime. >> live doppler 7 shows rain moving south ward. i'll give you a look in just a moment. >> and only in san francisco a decision on public nudity. why wr it's okay to be naked and where have you to keep clothes on. >> the end of an era. why the winningest coach in bears history has just been let go.t]x

>> live doppler 7 showing a storm moving into the north and spreading across the greater bay area right now. good evening. >> so far, the rain has been concentrated in the north bay. this video taken in the past hour or so. but it's gibbing to reach the golden gate. koit come down hard tonight. let's turn to spencer christian. >> areas of heavy rainfall developing tonight. sheer is a look. you can see all of the rainfall up in the north bay. much of this is off shore, is swinging south ward, it will reach south of the golden gate shortly. wet weather in napa, and marin counties. let's choke close in a little bit on the coastline here, we see mod rilt to heavy rainfall around jenner. and into